may and ought daily to afcend thither: but we understand by it a real and local Tranflation of the natural Body of Chrift from Earth to Heaven, whereby he who was born of the Bleffed Virgin, did, in that very Body in which he liv'd, died, and rofe again, truly and vifibly afcend from thefe lower Regions, far above all Heavens; that is, above the Etherial and Starry Heavens, into the Manfions of Bliss and Immortality.

To confirm us in the Belief of this great Action, I muft confider it,

1. As it was prefigur'd in Types, and predicted in Prophecies; and after, how both were actually accomplish'd in the Perfon of our Saviour. For the first,

Enoch's Tranflation into Heaven was a Type of the Meffiah's afcending thither. Elijah's being mounted up in a Whirlwind, and carry'd into Heaven in a fiery Chariot, was a lively Reprefentation of Christ's being receiv'd up into Glory; only with this difference, that our Saviour needed not the Elevation of a Whirlwind, or the Conduct of a Chariot, but went up by the fole Influence and Virtue of his Divine Power. Jofeph's being advanc'd to the higheft Dignity and Authority in the King's House, after all his hard Ufage from his Brethren, was a Fore-fignification of the Meffiab's Advancement to the higheft Glory in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Fofhua's entring into Canaan, and bringing the Ifraelites, after the wearifome Toils and Travels of the Wilderness, into that promis'd Land, was a Type or Token of the Meffiah's entring into Glory, and leading his Followers out of the Troubles of this World into the heavenly Canaan.

But more clearly; The High Prieft's going once a year into the Holy of Holies, after he had made an Atonement for the Tranfgreffions of the People, plainly prefigur'd our Lord's afcending into Heaven after the Sacrifice of himself: By his own Blood (faith the Apostle) he entred once into the boly place, having cbtain'd eternal Redemption for us. And again, He is entred not into the holy place made with hands, which are but the Figures of the true, but into Heaven itself; Heb. 9. 14, 24.

And as this was prefigur'd in Types, fo was it predicted I in Prophecies. The Pfalmift's rhetorical Speech in the 24tl 1 Pfalm, Lift up your heads, O ye Gates, and be ye lift up, y e everlasting Doors, and the King of Glory hall come in, tho literally spoken of the Ark, is yet myftically meant of the

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Meffiah's Entrance into Glory; whom he afterwards thus befpeaks: Thou haft afcended up on high, thou hast led Captivity captive, and receiv'd Gifts for Men; Pfal. 68. 18. meaning, that after his Conqueft of Death and Hell, whereby he led captive our ghoftly Enemies, he went trìumphantly up into Heaven, where like a King new crown'd he fhower'd down the Gifts and Graces of his Spirit on the Sons of Men, Eph. 4. 8. To this, fome have apply'd that Prophecy of Micah, The Breaker is come up before them, they have broken up and paffed thro' the Gates, and are gone out by it; and their Kings hall pass before them, and the Lord at the head of them: Mic. 2. 13. Where the Breaker, by the confeffion of the fews, is the Title of the Meffiah; the breaking up and paffing thro' the Gates, is his breaking the Bonds of Death, and paffing thro' the Gates of the Grave; after which, he fhould lead his Followers to Heaven, himself going before in the head of them.

But what was thus fignify'd of old in Types and Prophecies, we find amply accomplish'd in the Perfon of our Saviour. When he had finifh'd the Work that was given him to do, in order to Man's Redemption, and the time of his returning to his Father was come, he vifibly ascended up into the highest Heavens; from whence he defcended, and in that very Body, which he affum'd of the bleffed Virgin, quitted thefe dark Regions here below, and mounted himself to the brightest Manfions of Light and Glory that are above.

Now this being likewife a matter of Fact, depends upon the Teftimony of able and faithful Witneffes for the proof of it: and for this we have the Teftimony of the Apoftles and Difciples, who were Eye-witneffes of it, and beheld him vifibly taken up to Heaven. St. Luke tells us, that while he was talking with them, and bleffing of them, he was parted from them, and carry'd up into Heaven; Luke 24. 51. And to the fame purpose we are told, Acts 1. 9. When he had spoken to them, they beheld him taken up, till a Cloud receiv'd him out of their fight. They did not fee him in the Act of his Refurrection, becaufe that was not neceffary, it being fufficient that he fhew'd himself alive, after they knew he had been dead; but an Eye-witnefs was neceffary at the Act of his Afcenfion, because it could not otherwife be prov'd that he afcended, being not to be feen after : and therefore that we might not want fufficient Evidence of this great Truth, he was pleas'd to afcend up in the

view of many Witneffes. And the better to ftrengthen our Faith herein, there was added the Teftimony of the Angels, the glorious Inhabitants of Heaven, who, because the Eyes of the Apoftles could not follow him fo far, came down to fignify his Arrival thither: for we read, that while they were fedfaftly looking up to Heaven, two Men in white Apparel ftood by, faying, Ye Men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into Heaven? This fame Fefus, which you fee taken from you into Heaven, Jhall fo come in like manner, as ye fee him taken from you into Heaven; Acts 1. 11, 12. And this will lead me, in the

Second place, to confider the Circumftances of Time, Place, Manner and End of this great Action.

1. For the Time of his Afcenfion, it was forty days after his Refurrection from the Dead ; as we read, Acts 1. 3. He ftaid fo long to confirm his Followers in the Truth of his Refurrection, upon which all their Faith and Hopes depended for if he had left the World prefently after he arofe from the dead, Men might have queftion'd the Truth both of his Death and Refurrection; that is, whether he were the fame Perfon that died on the Crofs, and whether he were indeed rifen. He might have been taken only for an Apparition, that appear'd for a while, and then vanifh'd away: and by this means the World had been left in great doubts and uncertainty about this great Article, on which the Truth of all the Chriftian Religion depends. And therefore our Saviour thought fit to ftay fome time, to give them full Satisfaction in fo weighty a matter. This was the reafon of his many and frequent Appearances to his Difciples during that time, to whom he fhew'd himself alive after bis Paffion by many infallible Proofs, being feen of them forty days, and Speaking to them the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God; laying the Foundation of the Christian Church, which he had purchas'd with his own Blood, and directing them how and what they fhould build thereupon.

And having fully confirm'd them in these great Truths, he prepares them for his departure, and to arm them against that Fear and Sorrow which he knew the News of it would occafion; to which end, he first breaks it to them himself, letting them know, that the time of his going to his Father was at hand; and bidding Mary go unto his Brethren, and fay unto them, I afcend unto my Father and your Father. And finding them much dejected upon the first VOL. I.

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report of it, he endeavours to comfort them by fuggefting fundry Arguments of Confolation; telling them, that 'twas expedient for them that he should go away; that in his Father's Houfe were many Manfions; that his going before was to be their Harbinger, to prepare a place for them; and that he would shortly come again, and take them to himself: in the mean time he would not leave them comfortless, but would fend them a Comforter to abide with them, and fupply all the defects of his Abfence.

And having thus eas'd their Minds, and prepar'd them for his going away, he bids them to go to Ferufalem, where he would farther impart his Mind, and take his leave of them. And this will lead us,

2. To the Place of his Afcenfion. When the Apostles were come to Jerufalem, our Saviour met them, and there deliver'd his laft Mind and Meffage to them; which was to let them know, that they were to be his Witneffes to the World, to preach and propagate his Doctrine in all Parts and Corners of it: and to that end he would in a few days fend them the Holy Ghoft, and endow them with Power from on high, fufficient to overcome all Difficulties, and to carry them with Honour and Succefs thro' the Work in which he had engag'd them.

And having left his laft Mind and Will with them, he leads them forth out of the City as far as Bethany, which is about a mile diftant from Jerufalem; where being come, he takes them up on the adjoining Hill, call'd the Mount of Olives; and being arriv'd at the top of it, he tells them, that he was now going to his Father: And as the HighPrieft was wont to lift up his Hand and bless the People, as he was going into the Holy Place; fo did the Son of God there give his Followers his folemn and final Benediction. And while he was thus bleffing them, he was of a sudden parted from them, and mounted up flowly by degrees, so as they might for fome time follow him with their Eyes, and difcern his Motion; till being come up at fome confiderable height, a Cloud receiv'd him out of their fight, and hinder'd their Eyes from following or difcerning him any farther. Thus did our Bieffed Saviour leave this World without any alteration of his Humanity; afcending in that vifible and bodily Shape, that the Eyes of his Followers plainly beheld him, and became competent Witneffes of the Reality of his Afcent.

But while the Difciples were thus gazing and fixing their Eyes upon him, as he was mounting upward, we may well think what a Conflict they felt within them, between the two different Paffions of Joy and Sorrow; Sortow, for that their Lord was going from them, and Joy, to fee him thus, afcending in Triumph, and to behold fo glorious an A&t of his Divine Power and Majefty.

When they had quite loft the fight of him, St. Luke tells us, they all fell down and worship'd him; after which, they return'd to Jerufalem with great Foy, and were continually in the Temple bleffing and praifing of God; Luke 24. 52, 536 Their Faith had now overcome their Fears; and they who before could not hear the News of his Departure without Tears and Grief, could now rejoyce and adore him being gone, being fully fatisfy'd of his tender Love and Care of them, and likewife of his Ability and Readiness to help

them.

And how fhould we follow our Lord in our Contempla tions to the Regions above! We may well imagine, thơ we cannot express that Joy, unfpeakable and full of Glory, with which he was receiv'd into thofe Heavenly Manfions: how God the Father welcom'd his beloved Son, after fo full an Accomplishment of the Work which he gave him to do: how the holy Angels, who worship'd him under all the Meannefs and Frailties of his Incarnation, did now pay their humble and devout Adorations upon his triumphant Return unto Glory. How overjoy'd (think you) were all the bleft Inhabitants of Heaven, to fee their deareft Lord return to them, whom they lov'd above all things, whom they were now to enjoy for ever, and never more to lofe the Honour and Happiness of his Prefence !

Thefe are things we may reasonably conceive and medi tate upon, tho we can never comprehend them, till we come to bear a part with them in thofe eternal Praifes and Hallelujahs.

But what were the Ends and Effects of his Afcenfion ? Why, these relate partly to himself, and partly to his Followers.

For himself, He thus vifibly afcended for the manifeftation of his Glory, and to convince the World of the Divinity of his Perfon. His rifing indeed from Death to Life fhew'd a Divine Power, but his mounting from Earth to Heaven illuftrated it much more, by this he refum'd the Glory he had before he descended, and was re-instated in

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